We’re just about underway here at a sunny but chilly Lambeau Field. It’s 18 degrees, which by Green Bay standards isn’t too bad for this time of year.
The Packers won the coin toss and will start with the ball.
A quick public service announcement to Seahawks fans
For those of you watching at home, that was called a sack when the Seahawks defenders tackled the quarterback while he was still holding the ball. I just figured I’d better remind you since it has been a few weeks since anybody has seen that happen.
It was Darryl Tapp, the guy Aaron Rodgers accused of biting him who got the sack on Rodgers. That led to a three-and-out on the first possession of the game. Tapp also got to Rodgers on the first play of the game, but Colin Cole was offsides, negating that sack.
Wow! A first down
The Seahawks are breaking all sorts of trends this game. First a sack, now a first down on their first possession. Who is this team and what did they do with the Seahawks? Seattle had gone three-and-out on its first possession in each of the past games.
Oops
So much for that good start. Matt Hasselbeck was just intercepted on third-and-one, and the way the ball came out of his hand it almost looked like he might have been trying to pump fake but lost the ball. Whatever happened, A.J. Hawk ended up with the ball in his hands and took it 29 yards. Four plays later, Aaron Rodgers dumped a pass to running back Brandon Jackson, who went 14 yards for a touchdown.
A quick three-and-out
The Seahawks followed Green Bay’s touchdown with a quick three and out that featured a 1-yard run, a run for minus 2 yards, and a sack of Matt Hasselbeck.
On the plus side, new long snapper Jeff Robinson managed to get a clean snap off on his first play of the season, and Jon Ryan’s punt got a nice roll.
Seahawks force another punt
Pretty good effort from the defense so far (I’m giving them a bit of a break on the touchdown since Green Bay started at the Seahawks 35-yard line). The Packers had to punt again, getting only one first down, and that was because of a penalty.
Then they punt it back
If this keeps this up, it won’t matter if the defense plays great the rest of the way, because ever since that interception, the Seahawks offense has gone nowhere. A second straight three-and-out was actually an OK result on that last drive considering how close Hasselbeck was to throwing another pick. Packers DE Johnny Jolly batted a screen pass up in the air, and nearly came down with it deep in Seahawks territory.
Packers now lead 14-0
It appears the Seahawks are headed towards another ugly loss. Green Bay just drove 73 yards to end the first quarter with a two-score lead. The big plays on the drive came from WR Greg Jennings, who beat Kelly Jennings deep on third down for 40 yards, then went 24 yards on the next play to set up a Ryan Grant touchdown run.
Hard to see the Seahawks recovering from yet another bad start.
Another pick for Hasselbeck
That’s six interceptions now for Hasselbeck in the last six quarters. The ball was tipped at the line of scrimmage by Johnny Jolly, then T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who might have still had a chance to catch the pass or at least break it up, slipped and fell, leaving an easy pick for safety Atari Bigby. Before that play, the Seahawks had driven all the way to Green Bay’s 8-yard line.
Hasselbeck passes Krieg for career yardage
The Seahawks are driving again—and at least so far they haven’t turned it over—and on this drive Matt Hasselbeck just passed Dave Krieg as for most passing yards in franchise history with a 17-yard completion to Julius Jones.
Seahawks are on the board
A comeback still seems unlikely, but the Seahawks showed some life, bouncing back from that last turnover by forcing a three and out then driving for a field goal. Hasselbeck was 5 for 6 on the drive for 68 yards, and the one incompletion should have been caught.
Ryan Grant gives Seahawks the Frank Gore treatment
Ever since Frank Gore gashed the Seahawks for runs of 79 and 80 yards, the Seattle run defense has been pretty solid. Well, we just saw a flashback to that day in San Fran, as Grant went 56 yards untouched to make it 21-3. Good blocking up front opened things up, then a bad angle from Deon Grant opened things up for a huge gain.
Also, Josh Wilson got hurt on the drive. Word is it’s a hip injury and his return is questionable.
Hasselbeck fired up
The Seahawks went three-and-out on their last possession, and the drive (do we call three plays and a punt a drive?) ended with Matt Hasselbeck having to be restrained by teammates. The dust up started when Nick Barnett, who applied pressure on the play, held on to Hasselbeck’s leg well after the play was over. Sean Locklear, apparently trying to let out his inner dirtbag, gave Barnett a little knee to the head to try to get the linebacker off of his quarterback, which caused Barnett to leap up and go after Locklear. At first Hasselbeck appeared to be playing the role of peacemaker, but then something set him off and he was going after Barnett.
Packers lead 24-3 at halftime
Following the latest Seahawks three-and-out, the Packers drove to the Seattle 1-yard line, and appeared to have a touchdown, but that was called back for offensive pass interference. Instead the Packers had to settle for a field goal to end the half, leaving them with “only” a three-touchdown lead.
The Seahawks were out-gained 245 to 166 in the half, but what really hurt them were the two interceptions, one of which led to a Packers touchdown, and the other cost the Seahawks at least a field goal if not more.
Is it a bad thing when…
… your quarterback is averaging an interception per quarter? Because that’s what Hasselbeck is doing over the last two games. For most of the season Hasselbeck was pretty low on the list of things wrong with the Seahawks, but these last two games have been tough for the veteran quarterback. There are always a lot of factors that go into interceptions, and they’re not always the quarterback’s fault, but seven picks in seven quarters is pretty bad no matter how you look at it.
The Packers drove 47 yards on the ensuing possession and scored on a 6-yard run by Brandon Jackson, and it’s now 31-3.
Hasselbeck picked again
That’s four interceptions today, and eight in the last two weeks for Matt Hasselbeck, who in his first 114 NFL starts had only one four-pick game. He’s done it twice in the last two weeks.
And in case anyone still cares, that led to another Green Bay touchdown, making it 38-3.
In his first
It’s 38-3 after three quarters
Looking for more signs that 2009 has been an awful season for the Seahawks? Well the Packers inserted their backup QB, Matt Flynn, on the last play of the third quarter. That’s twice this season—it also happened in Minnesota—that the Seahawks have been so far behind that an opponent felt comfortable inserting their backup before the fourth quarter had even begun.
This will probably be it for the game thread unless there’s an injury to update or maybe another Hasselbeck pick.
Worst loss ever?
Well, it will be if this score holds. Green Bay has added 10 points in the fourth quarter to make it 48-3. If the Seahawks can’t score, the 45-point defeat would be the most lopsided in Seahawks history, surpassing a 44-point loss to Dallas in 1980.
Seahawks score, might avoid dubious feat
A 16-yard touchdown pass to John Carlson made the score 48-10 with 4:15 left in the game. A 38-point loss would still match the second-worst loss in team history, but at least the Seahawks might avoid a piece of history they want nothing to do with.
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